Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts experiment has given creatives a weekly payment for three years. Now, a permanent program could be on the way.

As Ireland’s $1,500-a-month basic income pilot program for creatives nears its end in February, officials have to answer a simple question: Is it worth it?

With four months to go, they say the answer is yes.

Earlier this month, Ireland’s government announced its 2026 budget, which includes “a successor to the pilot Basic Income Scheme for the Arts to begin next year” among its expenditures.

Ireland is just one of many places experimenting with guaranteed basic income programs, which provide recurring, unrestricted payments to people in a certain demographic. These programs differ from a universal basic income, which would provide payments for an entire population.

  • Corridor8031@lemmy.mlEnglish
    172·
    18 hours ago

    i mean i get what you mean, and i ofc also want UBI for everyone

    But i still think giving it to influencers specifically at this point is just further encouraging shitty behaviour, i think this will just make even more people try that, and to get any relevancy they would have to be even worse as a person to get any attention… And i doubt that they would not be greedy enough to not take not any extra money from whoever is offereing it.

    I think it should be considere that they would litteraly influence others and i doubt it would be in a better way then it is currently.

    i think i would be fine with litteraly any other group of people instead, and also influencers are probably not included anyway tho

    (ofc there are probably some good influencers, but they are drowned out by all the others)

    edit: but like i think i still would rather have artists + influencers ubi then none

    • chosensilence@pawb.socialEnglish
      3·
      13 hours ago

      wtf even is an “influencer?” i am an online comedian posting my own material to an audience of 90,000-100,000 followers. i am not trying to be an influencer. i don’t want to be seen as even a micro-influencer. it seems that word is given to anyone who is trying to be an entertainer online.

      is that how you’re using it too? how would we legally separate between artists like me and whatever an influencer is?

      • Corridor8031@lemmy.mlEnglish
        21·
        9 hours ago

        In the current context i mean any of these “lifestyle” people, i mean these that basically create nothing, whose content is either just about themself, like a vlog or them live streaming how they play a game while they add nothing of value to it, or these whose content is them beeing a menace on socitiy, or pointless drama or ragebait stuff.

        I dont think any of this is art.

        But i dont mean anyone that actually does create something, so i dont mean online comedians like you, that is an artist for me in this context.

        I actually think it is kind of hard to define, influencer is probably not even the right word for what i mean, but i have heard people use it for what i ment… But yeah i am probably using the word wrong

        • chosensilence@pawb.socialEnglish
          1·
          5 hours ago

          nah i get ya. i use the word the way you describe it as well. but i have seen commentary channels referred to as influencers which i didn’t think was right.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      165·
      18 hours ago

      but like i think i still would rather have artists + influencers ubi then none

      Right…

      But first you posted a comment about how pissed you were that another group were getting it and they shouldn’t.

      Even if you know you meant “everyone should get it”…

      You didn’t type that, you were manipulated instead into only saying a group you don’t like shouldn’t get it.

      No one reading your initial comment was/is capable of reading your mind. You did what the wealthy wanted, and may have influenced those who just read your first comment.